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I always knew that I had a strong military family.
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But while in law school, I started researching some things in my family.
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And I found out that two members of my family were some of the earliest Union soldiers in the 1860s.
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And I found a unit and everything called the Second Louisiana Native Guard.
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And so you combine that with, now it's on my father's side.
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And on my mother's side, I went to, and God bless them from having it, but the Museum of Social Justice in Mont in Montgomery.
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And I found out that I had a family member in the uh 1880s that was lynched for voter registration.
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And when you sort of compare with some of the things that we're dealing with today, we think our things are quite as new and unique.
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And it's not.
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We have a special guest that is with us today, and we're going to ask, because we are an unabashedly Christian organization, we're going to ask Deacon Brown to open us up with a prayer, and then we'll ask Deacon Dr.
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Minor to introduce our guest.
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Good afternoon, you all.
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Just bow ahead in a moment of prayer.
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Father God, we just thank you for your son Jesus.
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Good news of the gospel, your Holy Spirit, and your word.
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Thank you, dear Lord, for saving us.
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Having mercy on us, filling us with the Holy Ghost.
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We ask for forgiveness of our sins and your anointing of your spirit for us to do well, to do good, and to do well in this world.
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We speak truth to power here, Lord, and we ask that you bless us, empower us with spiritual wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.
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Give us hope, dear Lord.
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Help us know that we will survive and we will overcome.
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Bless everyone on the sound of my voice.
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Keep us safe in your spirit.
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In Jesus' name, I pray.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Gives me quite uh privilege and pleasure to introduce this young man as our guest today.
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Um Keith McKendall.
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He's uh as a JD, and he's also a PhD candidate in business at uh University uh William Wood.
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Um Keith has an outstanding career, and I'm sure he'll tell you more about it uh when he gets a chance to speak.
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But I'll say a few things about him.
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He uh is a board member of the Alabama District Kiwanas Foundation, and he'll tell you about his service as the governor of that organization.
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He finished Miles Law School at the top of the class, I believe, which is no small feat.
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He has a Masters of Science in Business Management from Troy University, a Bachelor's of Science of Electrical Technology from Southern University.
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He served in Louisiana, uh National Guard.
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And he's a life member of A5A, and I'm sure he's he will say something about that.
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He's gonna speak to us today about service, and I'll just title it National and Community Service, and I'll say more about that later when we get into discussion.
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So welcome, uh Keith.
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Thank you.
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Thank you, absolutely.
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And the floor is yours to talk freely uh for 20 or 30 minutes.
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Absolutely.
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Yeah, so no, it's uh great honor to be here and uh uh thank you for this forum and and for this uh uh this opportunity to discuss service.
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And so um, yeah, so the idea of service, uh, just finished a stint two years ago as the Alabama District Governor uh for Kiwanas uh International.
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Um that was historic in itself.
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Um and so Birmingham itself has the distinction of having the largest Kiwanas club in the entire world with over 500 members.
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And uh Montgomery is fourth in the world uh with about 300 members.
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And so the the State Fair of Alabama and Montgomery that does every year, they they give away in the neighborhood about 300,000, 300, over 300,000 and helping communities in the 17 county area in that area.
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So again, realizing that forum and the discussion right now is a focus from a Christian perspective uh of service.
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But again, um I full between my time in Alpha Learning and Alpha Military, uh in the Air National Guard as uh and again, Kwanas, and and so I've dedicated myself to a life of service.
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I forgot to mention that you do hold a current job with lawsome state.
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Yeah, so with uh everything that's going on, I am and so uh my disclaimer is that here I'm here as my own personal and Christian perspective, but the idea is that uh yes, I work as the uh I hold hold the honor and distinction of being the executive director for uh capital projects and operations at Lawson State.
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Now, I I I said uh earlier that I'm gonna call this National and Community Service.
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Keith, you may not know this.
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Once upon a time I headed National and Community Service for the state of Alabama under the Sigaman administration as one of his cabinet members.
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Really?
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And one of one of the things we did was bring America's Promise to Alabama, and that's Colin Powell's uh program, and we called it Alabama Promise.
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Uh-huh.
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So tell us, and I'm a Rotarian, by the way.
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Okay, yes, absolutely.
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Yeah, it's a same family, yeah.
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Yeah, so tell tell me what uh the Kiwanas are doing.
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So specifically, you mentioned Yeah, so a lot of folks.
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Yeah, so a lot of folks don't um are not familiar with Kiwanas.
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Uh historically in the um African American community, we don't have as much of a huge presence, but Kiwanas is an international organization.
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We have over 600,000 members, and our focus, our focus is children.
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Uh we have the largest uh high school organization, which is Key Club.
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So Key Club, um, and so between our membership, between Kawana, Circle K is our student uh college student contingent uh membership, we have Key Club uh, which is high school, we have Action Club, which are special needs.
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Um we also have Builders Club and uh K Kids, which are junior high elementary school and middle school.
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So again, um as far as Alabama itself, that lends itself, and key and Kiwana specifically has 3,000 members, 83 clubs, but with all of our what they call K family, we have about 12,000 members across the state, across the state that basically do community service, dedicated community service in every small town, every, as they say, hamlet you could think of across the state of Alabama.
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So again, the um forgive me the the the network of it you're doing community service across the state.
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I've seen um driving along Kowanis Club, Rotary Club, this this mile of road, this stretch of highway is maintained by the Kiwanis Club.
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Is it a fraternity?
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Is it um you know you spoke very diplomatically, you know, you you spoke as the as the governor.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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As a member, as a member, as a member, and did not start out as a member.
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I mean, start out as the governor.
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I mean, if to tell that for me, I I joined probably a little bit over 10 years ago.
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Um, the gist of it to start as just a member in a club.
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So you have a local club and it's just a local organization.
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And it's loosely as folks get together and realize, and our average club is 20 people and in Alabama.
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And so uh, and it's usually a group of folks and their focus is pancake breakfast.
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So the big thing is on a Saturday, and we're talking about folks who raise numbers like$20,000 on a pancake breakfast, and you'd be like, How do you raise$20,000 on the pancake breakfast?
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But places like Aniston and Huntsville, they'll literally raise numbers on$20,000 and$40,000.
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And this money, the proceeds that they go go directly into the community.
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Um, my governor year, we did the Challenge School Project.
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That was it was our um our 100th anniversary that year of Alabama being its own district of Kiwanas, and we celebrated that.
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But during that time, uh State Superintendent Eric Mackey, who's still the current superintendent, was extremely supportive because we started a challenge, a challenge schools project, which means at the time Alabama had 79 failing schools.
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And part of the issue or part of the challenge of why service is so important, when struggling schools and struggling communities, the first thing that they lose is not money.
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You know, which is surprising, the number one thing, and the first thing that they lose is community involvement and service hours to that school and to that community.
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And that goes prior to the funding and to the money and the private money.
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And that is truly the difference maker and the secret sauce in communities is straight up service.
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It's why, as a person, and I know it's rough for me right now because I have a Rotarian next to me on one side and a Kappa man on me and is a little is on the other side.
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And this is a struggle to knowing that you oh oh never mind.
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Oh never mind.
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Well, yeah.
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But but the idea is I take that one back.
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But I got the Rotarian on.
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But the but the idea is that no, all these, the divine nine, the service organizations, whether it's Rotary Lions or Koanas Club, these organizations and the membership are to be applauded because that's what truly changed communities.
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And the big thing is when you truly come as when we come together within these organizations, we literally, literally transform communities.
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And that's the big thing.
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And from a spiritual aspect and from a Christian aspect, you know, that's really, especially when we focus on the New Testament, when you get down into it, that's what that's what Jesus did.
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Jesus was a counselor, meaning that he counseled people who were in need.
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He was he was truly a social worker, he was truly a doctor going into communities that didn't want to serve.
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He was a healer, he fed the sick, he did all those things and spoke on all those things.
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And that's that's the thing that when you're talking about the work of the church, the work of the church is truly, in my opinion, is rolling up your sleeves, getting in your hands dirty, and as far as helping your neighbor, helping your community.
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And that's that's what it's truly about.
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Okay.
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You were talking about the divine nine.
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I see you got blue and white on.
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But those are Kiwanas couple, or so I'll just we do have a single in the room.
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Okay.
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Speak it.
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Also, also not me.
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Speaking, also not me.
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But uh something interesting in your background uh related to a major event that occurred in the United States is that you had some role in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
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I don't know the details of it, but I think you were involved.
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Highly, highly.
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Those were um I've had a number of transformable or historical events that I was a participant.
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I mean my military years, during my career, I was around during the California power crisis.
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Um Hurricane Katrina, I spent nine years worth of uh recovery, been participating in the recovery.
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I'm a New Orleanian, uh proud New Orleanian who married uh married an Alabamian, so uh I relocated.
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So the joke I always say is Alabama works like Louisiana, that you're born into it or you marry into it.
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So I got my Alabama called Honestly, uh, which is I married into it.
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But no, I spent um time with Oshner Hospital, and I was in charge of the recovery at Dillard University as the assistant vice president of facilities.
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So during that time, um guided, worked under the president at the time, Dr.
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Hughes, uh Baleen Hughes, and um and and who later came Dr.
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Walter Kimbrough, who's over the UNCF as the executive director right now.
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And um, it was a very much a historical time.
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And we were successful, blessed that we were successful in guiding that recovery.
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And um, and right now, and I'll acknowledge also who was part of the administration as the provost is the current president of Stillman College, Dr.
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Page.
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So uh we had a very a good group, a good uh uh it w again, it was a historical time, and we were focused on service and doing good work.
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And it was life-changing.
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Was that during the time uh General Honory took control?
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Well, yeah, I came in day nine, I was a volunteer at Oshner Hospital, and later worked for facilities, and so uh experiences that I learned because I was li I lived in California, and my quick story is I went, I had great mentors there.
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And so when and we're we're basically around 9-11, like today, you know, basically today is 9-11 and acknowledging that time frame.
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But um and so what I ended up doing is coming home and going to grad school during that period and ended up on the coast at Troy.
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And Troy had a campus on the the in Pensacola.
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As soon as I finished, a couple months after I finished, uh, Katrina happened.
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And um during that, basically, I ended up being a facilities manager at Oshner Hospital, where we purchased five hospitals and had to deal with the devastation post-Katrina and some of the stuff that were the headlines that the hospital had closed because they had um uh the travesty, the one ups down.
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But my boss, but my supervisor who I worked for, who's the director there for many years, um, I worked under him and he brought that hospital back to life um from nothing and with a total devastation there.
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And um, we ran main campus, main campus grew in size, so we're talking about the something the size of uh UAB.
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And in that I went to work for Oshner Hospital, that would have been year five when they were struggling.
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I probably had only a third of the campus up.
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But in that, um, I was responsible for a$300 million profile, um, which was everything.
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Um, and in that we put a community center on campus during the time I was there, a health center, um, because of what we're talking about that it didn't have we didn't they didn't have health care in the area for the community.
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So we partnered with Daughters of Charity, which is uh a Catholic contingent arm, um a healthcare arm.
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Um and that was on campus, and as well as um prior to my leaving we hosted um First Lady Michelle Obama at the time.
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So again, for those who are involved, everyone uh is very proud of their time there because it was historic.
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All the experiences were real good back in the day, and I think that's probably why I look at you and he got the he has a million-dollar smile.
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I mean, you don't just when you when you when you see him, uh I saw him at Lowe's and he was in line talking to the cashier, and he flowed him.
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We just he just he just has it.
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I want you to do uh uh two things I want you to discuss with me for a minute.
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Service is so important to everybody in this room, that's what we call it.
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Uh and I I appreciate you uh saying that and saying what you have said.
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Um I want you to touch on what this administration has it done anything to curtail what you're doing, that's number one.
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And give me some ideas as to things that we as followers of Christ I'm skeptical about using that word Christian now because some folks, you know where I'm going.
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Oh, yeah, that's the diploma.
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You know, the political stuff, and I'll go back to it, and I kind of purposely kind of stay away from it depending on the setting, but as a Kwanian, I'll go back to that.
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You know, I've been in a room with folks as red as red can be, but the one thing about it is that everybody has common goals that they pretty much want, meaning they make their schools better, they make their communities better.
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Right.
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And, you know, what everybody focuses on, and they can't lose sight of is that we go international organizations.
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So we come around the world when we have a convention and we'll have folks from we just had Nepal.
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I literally have folks that I know from Nepal, being a Kauanian.
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I literally have folks I know in Taiwan, and you get invited, come to China or come here, that you have folks, you know, all over.
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So it's bigger, especially when you're talking about Christ-like and doing Christ's work, is bigger than borders of countries.
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Thank you.
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And it's bigger when you're talking about Christ's work and Christ the church, it spans generations.
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And when you go back to what our what our, as far as as a people, and we talk as an African American and from an old city in New Orleans, I recently in law school found out something that floored me, which is I always knew that I had a strong military family.
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I went through the air guard when the Gulf War was kicking off.
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You know, I have friends, I have family members, great uncles and stuff.
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I know it was World War II, and I was extremely proud of that.
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But while in law school, I started researching some things in my family, and I found out that two members of my family were some of the earliest union soldiers in the 1860s.
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And I was absolutely floored, meaning that the struggle, we're talking about folks who dealt with stuff of one when secession, full-fledged secession of the union, keeping the union together, folks who came from um meager backgrounds, less you know, less opportunity.
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Not one, but two signed up and I found a unit and everything called the Second Louisiana Native Guard.
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So they were the some of the earliest Union soldiers to engage Confederates in this country.
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And so you combine that with, now it's on my father's side.
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And on my mother's side, I went to, and God bless them from having it, but the Museum of Social Justice in Mont in Montgomery.
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And I found out that I had a family member in the uh 1880s that was lynched for voter registration.
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Yeah and on my mother's side.
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So and her family's from Appaloosis, Louisiana.
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So you're talking about, and when you sort of compare with some of the things that we're dealing with today, I will say we think our things are applied as new and unique, and it's not.
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And service and helping our neighbors at a high level, uh basically it is beyond some of the, and I'll just call it what it is, some of the petty politics.
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Um Governor Ivey, and again, uh Connie alluded to it, but the Governor Ivey, as well as Secretary Mackey, was extremely supportive of our challenge school project, where we are focused on, and this we're ending it this year, of the 79 failing schools around the state, downtown Birmingham Club, and I want to acknowledge uh Chef Pepway with his reading program.
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Um, and and again, you look at who's down there, not everybody's blue and not everybody's red.
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But everybody is rallying or can rally behind literacy and helping chill and helping young people, and really, and that's where a big return on investment comes in investing in education and uplifting young people.
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Because it changes minds, changes perspectives.
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And when you're changing perspective, again, now we talked about other other things, but my hangout, I was a boys club kid.
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You know, I'm extremely proud of the fact of that I was a youth of the year, met the governor for Louisiana at the time, um, for my city for high school.
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So I was in right outside the city of New Orleans in Slidell, Louisiana, and I was a youth of the year recipient and met the governor, and that was that I was exposed to folks who and it was a Republican administration.
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State there.
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And they were extremely supportive, extremely gracious when we visited and opportunities, and those types of opportunities were life-changing because I got to understand past the narrative that we see every day.
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And one last thing when we go back to that when we look at the news, a lot of times people capture what they see off of what they see off TV and social media, have to realize that people do good work and change their community every day.
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But I want to say that does not sell papers.
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That does not generate clicks.
00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:34.160
You know, um that and that's why the last part of the day on your national and local news, meaning that they've dedicated 25 minutes of negativity, 2020, you might get some commercial, and you leave with the whole five minutes of we'll give you an uplift and moment.
00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:56.319
Meanwhile, you have social workers, teachers, you have firemen, you have police officers, you have a litany of occupations, physicians who are saving people in emergency rooms, doing great work, and we'll talk about their great work and their vocational is vocations that they've committed their life to is actually God's work.
00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:00.559
And and saving lives, clerk and clergy.
00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:06.319
But again, that type of those types of activities don't sell clicks.
00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:09.119
So generate clicks, I should say.
00:26:09.599 --> 00:26:12.160
If I may, let let the rookie ask.
00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:15.039
Um I I received that.
00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:17.039
Let the rookie ask.
00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:37.200
I'd like to know there are times when we must enter into the political sphere just to confront naked aggression, overt, evil.
00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:37.839
Yeah.
00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:40.559
And there's strife between that.
00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:45.200
And you have to be comfortable in that strife and a time and a place.
00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:57.119
The the Martin Luther King is a that we know and love, that people lots of time package and sell the soft Martin Dr.
00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:03.759
Martin Luther King for me as an alpha brother Martin Luther King, was not the soft one that they loved to package.
00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:15.519
He wrote the letter from Birmingham jail directly confronting, I'll keep the word, confronting other clergy.
00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:30.559
And when you're doing God's work, you know, and we have a duty, a duty to especially for me going to law school, I feel that sense of duty and that sense of justice.
00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:39.920
I mean, you j George Floyd had a a huge impact on me watching that on TV.
00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:47.359
Watching someone literally the neck snapped in a violent manner, or the breathing and and that sort of thing.
00:27:54.960 --> 00:28:18.559
But the the point I'm um I want to make is that rather than focus on the negativity of what you said, the confrontation is love and good works, because what they wanna what folks wanna do with either side of negativity, they want to to basically dim the light on people, on what makes things great.
00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:47.039
And so what happens is for people to to to basically to accomplish and and to to accomplish what their goal, which is negativity through corruption or to circumvent the processes, I couldn't agree with you more about people need to avoid this form or why um c you know, stepping out on as they say, on faith off of why it's important to do righteous work.
00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:59.359
You know, when I was a Kowanian, started out in Kowana as as far as like I said, as the governor of the state and representing the state, um you you're representing us it it's it's a prominent role.
00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:08.000
And so the role and again, during that time, still it was it's tumultuous times.
00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:21.519
But the idea is, again, going in circles of of folks who not necessarily agree with me politically and to speak truth to power, to say I'm from the Lord Nightwater New Orleans.
00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:24.000
I was a riff kid, you know.
00:29:24.160 --> 00:29:45.759
I I got to enjoy the bookmobile, I got to enjoy, you know, the safety of the boys club and all these programs, and to openly say these programs that of those of us of a certain generation know of in the 80s, of a kid in the 80s, that those programs work.
00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:49.039
You know, the Cosby show and and this is real.
00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:57.680
So it's easy to become discouraged, it's easy to become frustrated, but the idea of those things work.
00:29:58.640 --> 00:30:09.599
And and so, and the last thing I say is because I'm a product of the 80s and 90s, folks say, you know, we operated a little bit different than the 60s, and we do.
00:30:09.759 --> 00:30:16.960
We had people like Reginald Lewis, who we had people like who's the first African-American billionaire.
00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:23.599
We had people like, you know, um Ron Brown, who was over the DNC.
00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:46.559
Those are the people who influenced me in college, the people who call in power, the people who understand truth to power and how do you influence things at the board table that you can make big different a lot of cases you could in at the board table, you can make more influence than you can in regards to policy table or even protesting sometimes.
00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:48.880
I think there's a place for everyone.
00:30:49.119 --> 00:31:02.880
You know, it's not a one size fits all, but at the end of the day, you know, it's a commun it's a group effort to understand that there's people doing the right things right now during this time quietly to make changes in this country.
00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:06.000
I'm gonna ask you all this.
00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:09.680
Fantastic.
00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:19.440
One thing that uh I'm a product of the 50s and 60s and we started this what about three years ago?
00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:24.640
Because we didn't know what we did.
00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:31.440
We know how we had to get our kids children.
00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:46.160
Since we started this, we found out that the same thing that the same way we would come down with people like y'all generally.
00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:54.400
We run across so many young men who seeded the threat.
00:31:55.599 --> 00:31:56.880
They understand it.
00:31:57.519 --> 00:32:04.880
But like you they believe in service, they believe in Jesus, they believe in speaking truth to power.
00:32:05.759 --> 00:32:08.559
So I have no me and Doc was talking.
00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:12.960
He's going to Minnesota.
00:32:13.920 --> 00:32:32.640
Tomorrow they gonna Doc was part of the the group back in the 50s, 60s, 68, I think, that demonstrated in the University of Minnesota they got them to implement black history on campus and they record they they could keep in touch and he's doing a he's speaking up there this weekend, that's right.
00:32:32.880 --> 00:32:34.400
He's leaving in the morning.
00:32:35.680 --> 00:32:46.640
But from that position to where we are now and what we've accomplished, you can see the work of Jesus service all the way down the line.
00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:50.079
The impact that you're having with the corners.
00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:52.240
When I was coming up, you couldn't spell it.
00:32:52.400 --> 00:32:54.079
There's no one be a part of it.
00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:57.119
But look at what's what you all are doing.
00:32:57.920 --> 00:33:06.559
Last but not least, I just I'm impressed with the uh we didn't get a chance to even talk about your military experiences.
00:33:07.119 --> 00:33:11.039
But that does and has a lot of effect on where you are now too in.
00:33:11.359 --> 00:33:12.000
Absolutely.
00:33:12.079 --> 00:33:17.039
And when you go back to all my life, I mean, it it's sort of a building.
00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:24.480
You know, when you first as a younger person, because I'll go back to it started as a kid when you're talking about something as simple as scouting.
00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:24.960
Yeah.
00:33:26.640 --> 00:33:27.200
What scouting?
00:33:27.519 --> 00:33:27.680
Yeah.
00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:34.559
And so when you're talking the Bible about teaching early, um, I mean, all those things play an impact.
00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:45.920
And we sort of alluded to it earlier, that, you know, I spent times at Miles, I director of career services at Miles, and so I've got to influence a lot of young people.
00:33:46.240 --> 00:33:53.119
But what I joke about, especially in New Orleans, of some of the people like, you know, Norman Francis, Dr.
00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:57.839
Norman Francis, who was uh president at Xavier, or Dr.
00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:09.760
Charles Timor, who was general president of Alpha, and folks like um who had a big influence when um he passed, was Malt Moriel's father.
00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:13.679
I was a young Alpha just had gone over when his father passed.
00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:19.840
Um Dutch Mallorial, who was the uh general president of Alpha, oh, his resume is extensive.
00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:26.800
Uh he was first um African mayor mayor of New Orleans, he was a general president of Alpha.
00:34:26.960 --> 00:34:32.079
So getting to see these folks, and I'll go back to you, building upon institutions.
00:34:32.880 --> 00:34:43.039
So as I sit here to in front you today, rather than you know, Keith, McKendall, truly what I'm standing on are institutions.
00:34:43.280 --> 00:34:49.039
Some of those institutions are predominantly African American institutions, some of them I'm not.
00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:53.440
But I'm a product of all of those institutions.
00:34:53.679 --> 00:35:00.800
William Woods University, William Woods, I'm out the first cohort for the business program over there.
00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:07.119
It was a college founded in 1870, mostly mostly female till 93.
00:35:08.159 --> 00:35:10.239
Not a lot of African Americans.
00:35:10.400 --> 00:35:16.159
Um, but the idea is that I I am now a product of that even.
00:35:16.719 --> 00:35:33.760
And so again, and we know we have a lot of folks who went went to uh Alabama, went to Auburn, but you know, when you embrace all of that, we those those institutions have an effect on us and we become products of those.
00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:34.880
We built that.
00:35:35.119 --> 00:35:35.760
Yeah, absolutely.
00:35:36.079 --> 00:35:38.320
We built it, built it before we went to it.
00:35:38.639 --> 00:35:39.039
Yeah.
00:35:39.280 --> 00:35:40.480
And that's what it go back to.
00:35:40.639 --> 00:35:41.280
Troy's a product.
00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:42.800
And right now, making them rich.
00:35:43.039 --> 00:35:45.360
And so we go back to I'm a product of Troy.
00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:49.119
I'm um I I I am gracious I'm grateful.
00:35:49.280 --> 00:35:50.960
My brother went to Troy as well.
00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:56.480
And so I'm grateful because uh that community has embraced me.
00:35:56.719 --> 00:36:07.599
Um and so again, it's not as narrow as folks like to see, but again, that's I go back to what you said earlier that it's important that we confront it.
00:36:07.920 --> 00:36:16.639
And and and it's there's a variety of tools in the toolbox when there's injustice of the world and how you in how do you deal with injustice.
00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:31.599
And so the injustice is when we're talking about young people, an injustice to me is that a young person going hungry in the richest country in this world, and we have hungry children every day that affects their schooling.
00:36:31.679 --> 00:36:53.199
That affects when they have you statistically, you can find when that when a young person doesn't have the right diet, or you and they're going to school and hung uh hungry, um, you know, access to books, access to education, access to technology, those are things that are worth going, those are things worth fighting for.
00:36:53.599 --> 00:36:58.480
So just because you're on it, and forgive me, Dr.
00:36:58.639 --> 00:37:07.360
Minor, but just because you're on it, it it it kind of makes me want to I have to ask this, and I I need to just give you some context.
00:37:07.440 --> 00:37:19.840
Um and it's not to be boastful, just so you know where I come from, because I'm not boasting, but I grew up with because my dad was in the student nonviolent coordinating committee.
00:37:20.320 --> 00:37:21.519
So I grew up with H.
00:37:21.679 --> 00:37:28.960
Rap Brown coming to the house, uh Stokely Carmichael and them, um, before he started this Pan-Africanism.
00:37:29.440 --> 00:37:33.440
Um my dad was trained by Fannie Lou Hamer.
00:37:33.519 --> 00:37:39.760
There are pictures of me being held by Fannie Lou Hamer as a baby, um Ella Baker.
00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:47.920
Um and so I grew up with these folks who were very confrontational and who fought for social change.
00:37:48.079 --> 00:38:03.840
When I got called into ministry, the person that I look up to to this day, and who I think is just the greatest personification of Christ on earth is not Martin Luther King, it's Fred Shuttlesworth.
00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:06.800
And so I've always wanted to be like Fred Shuttlesworth.
00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:09.039
That's what I felt like a minister would be.
00:38:09.280 --> 00:38:18.400
So now the reason I raise those things is because um we have organizations that will often do the humanitarian stuff.
00:38:18.559 --> 00:38:23.679
They come in, they're they're nonpartisan, they do the humanitarian things.
00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:40.880
But for me, I'm always looking for those organizations to do the humanitarian things, but then to also work to change it so that those situations, those circumstances that require us to do the humanitarian things are no longer there.
00:38:41.039 --> 00:38:55.840
So now I'm I'm not in any way trying to diminish what you've told us, but I just wonder, is there another arm that that so you've you've got those the streets work down, but what about in the suites where the decisions are being made?
00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:58.880
What about in the Congress, in the state houses?
00:38:59.039 --> 00:39:06.559
What about, I mean, we've got the work down for when we need to feed the feed children and do those things.
00:39:06.800 --> 00:39:09.360
What about the fact that they need to be fed at all?
00:39:09.599 --> 00:39:10.800
Like what about those things?
00:39:10.880 --> 00:39:12.079
That's what the I'm saying.
00:39:12.239 --> 00:39:20.480
So no, we that we address those, but what happens is when we go back to, I'm enjoying this because we're both kind of sons of similar backgrounds.
00:39:20.639 --> 00:39:27.599
My father was a he was arrested in civil rights movement in New Orleans in the early 60s.
00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:34.239
So so we're talking about he was in college and him and my mom, my mom was a beatnik.
00:39:34.639 --> 00:39:41.920
So for those who don't know, before the hippies, be prior to the hippies, it was a thing of a beatnik.
00:39:42.159 --> 00:39:46.559
So my parents were in college and they were married in the early 60s.
00:39:46.800 --> 00:39:51.360
And so I'm a I'm a truly a pro I get where you're coming from, man.
00:39:51.440 --> 00:39:52.000
Do I get it?
00:39:52.079 --> 00:39:53.280
So I was like you.
00:39:53.599 --> 00:40:01.119
My parents had all these folks who was at the house and they were active in the civil rights movement as really foot soldiers.
00:40:01.280 --> 00:40:03.840
But I'll go back to they were the college students.
00:40:04.000 --> 00:40:08.400
So my father retired with the federal government.
00:40:08.639 --> 00:40:15.199
And so he was um now, so he and I'll just say he was retired with the Internal Revenue Service.
00:40:15.360 --> 00:40:20.159
So his big thing was and did a lot of public, he was the good guy, as they say.
00:40:20.239 --> 00:40:22.639
If you do, you know, he was a good guy.
00:40:22.960 --> 00:40:30.559
So what we go back to of it was big about honesty and fair play.
00:40:30.880 --> 00:40:33.280
And and and everybody gets a fair shake.
00:40:33.440 --> 00:40:34.800
And so I was raised with that.
00:40:34.960 --> 00:40:36.719
So I get where you're coming from.
00:40:36.960 --> 00:40:49.280
You know, when you talk about, I s I talked about of all a lot of civil rights characters, oh, I shouldn't say characters, civil rights figures that you identify with, the one that's forgotten is my guy.
00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:56.000
And you wanna who I model myself after is nobody talks about him anymore, but he was Whitney Young.
00:40:56.159 --> 00:40:56.559
Oh, yeah.
00:40:56.800 --> 00:41:09.119
And so Whitney Young, when you look at it, for those who don't know, Whitney Young probably in the boardroom, LBJ loved, FBJ was very fond of Whitney Young.
00:41:09.360 --> 00:41:20.320
So where Martin Luther King was in the streets, Thurgood Marshall was in the courts, you had Whitney Young was in the boardroom.
00:41:20.639 --> 00:41:26.960
And what you have, and I'll say this, when there's a room, and they're gonna be very happy.
00:41:27.039 --> 00:41:29.440
I'm giving them a shout out right now.
00:41:29.920 --> 00:41:35.199
But over in um Tequila Mockingbird, uh what's the Texas?
00:41:35.440 --> 00:41:36.880
No, no, yeah, what's the town?
00:41:37.039 --> 00:41:38.320
Umruver.
00:41:39.440 --> 00:41:45.599
Mumruva Koranas Kwanas took on the Klan and then ran the Klan out with Santa Claus.
00:41:45.840 --> 00:41:47.280
They did this whole expose.
00:41:47.519 --> 00:41:48.880
I found out about it.
00:41:49.760 --> 00:41:53.599
And it's one of these wonderful stories of what you're talking about.
00:41:53.840 --> 00:42:01.360
Because part of why Miles Law School was founded was because the lack of African-American attorneys.
00:42:01.519 --> 00:42:05.119
So you had Mason Davis and you had only a few attorneys.
00:42:05.360 --> 00:42:20.960
But I want to be open and say that, and not that, and you had a lot of folks who in the past took on cases that caused them a lot of heartache, that they didn't have to take those cases on.
00:42:21.199 --> 00:42:31.599
And so I want to acknowledge that in a lot of cases that you have to have, it takes for international stuff to happen, it takes a whole, it takes a village.
00:42:31.760 --> 00:42:33.599
It takes folks outside of community.
00:42:33.760 --> 00:42:36.559
It's not a sort of one size fits all.
00:42:36.880 --> 00:42:39.760
And so when you go back, I get where you're coming from.
00:42:39.840 --> 00:42:43.280
And there's a and there's a time and a place to be in the streets.
00:42:43.440 --> 00:42:45.280
There's a time and a place to be in the court.
00:42:46.400 --> 00:42:49.119
There's a time and a place to be in the boardroom.
00:42:49.360 --> 00:42:56.639
And there's a time and a and it is, and again, there's it's not a one-size fits-all because you're talking about truth to power.
00:42:56.719 --> 00:43:03.199
You're talking about in a lot of cases where the establishment is set there to hinder a lot of things.
00:43:03.440 --> 00:43:11.119
But at the end of the day, it's people who honestly makes a difference, especially the church.
00:43:11.519 --> 00:43:16.719
And people involved in good people involved in organizations and churches.
00:43:16.800 --> 00:43:22.559
And I want to acknowledge the the impact of the church that the 60s made.
00:43:22.719 --> 00:43:25.599
You know, in the 60s, there's a reason why churches were bombed.
00:43:25.760 --> 00:43:26.079
Thank you.
00:43:26.239 --> 00:43:26.880
And there's a good reason.
00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:29.519
And there's a reason why.
00:43:29.679 --> 00:43:35.440
You know, for Martin Luther King, the folks that c uh that protected him, I think it was the deacons they called them.
00:43:36.480 --> 00:43:37.280
The deacons for defense.
00:43:38.559 --> 00:43:44.960
Yeah, these were these were people, I want to say it, these these were not them fellas.
00:43:45.360 --> 00:43:46.559
These were not cheap.
00:43:46.719 --> 00:43:48.400
These were God-fearing people.
00:43:50.559 --> 00:43:51.440
Who stood up.
00:43:51.599 --> 00:44:10.639
And so the idea is that, no, when you're on the side of righteousness, and to to be a lot of people think that you have to put a secular But when you really God inspires you and moves you and you're on the side of righteousness, you know, you know, it it nothing moves you like that.
00:44:10.719 --> 00:44:20.400
And when you know God has filled you to do something of purpose, you know, we talked about in Katrina and some of the places that I've that I've been.
00:44:20.719 --> 00:44:28.239
That again, looking at New Testament, looking at, you know, so God mission is the only way you get stuff done.
00:44:28.559 --> 00:44:31.679
Keith, you uh laid quite a bit on the table.
00:44:31.920 --> 00:44:32.239
Didn't you?
00:44:32.639 --> 00:44:34.079
And we didn't get into time.
00:44:34.400 --> 00:44:36.079
I know we are running out of time.
00:44:36.239 --> 00:44:39.760
There are there are several issues I wanted to follow up on, but we don't have the time.
00:44:40.079 --> 00:44:40.639
Sure ain't.
00:44:41.119 --> 00:44:47.280
But I'll just say make this statement, and you can respond to it uh as you wish.
00:44:47.519 --> 00:45:02.480
Um I always observed and noticed that with all of the churches that we have in the land, like one on every corner, why do we see or have sin?
00:45:04.000 --> 00:45:22.400
And the parallel question is with all of these service organizations nationwide, why haven't we written uh the country of basic problems like food, clothing, and clothing and shelter, and health care?
00:45:24.079 --> 00:45:35.840
And so what becomes a huge challenge for any organization, and and when you're talking about movements and anybody who's been in organization, how do you roll together?
00:45:36.000 --> 00:45:38.320
That's why this country grows when it struggles.
00:45:38.480 --> 00:45:48.400
You look at 9-11 or any sort of when we had COVID, when this country focuses on a problem, we do exceptional things.
00:46:13.039 --> 00:46:19.280
The problem is when we look at communities and who we are, we're we're pretty a fragmented group.
00:46:19.440 --> 00:46:23.679
You look at folks look at as this country, we we are.
00:46:23.920 --> 00:46:40.239
So it becomes a struggle because again, as human beings, it's just our nature that we sometimes worry about small stuff and gets down to pettiness instead of focusing on the big goals and the big issues that that plague on the ground.
00:46:43.360 --> 00:46:44.960
Character is the most important thing.
00:46:45.199 --> 00:46:55.280
Character, especially as a Christian, you know, when we talk about Christianity, character is what you do when no one's watching.
00:46:55.679 --> 00:47:04.800
And that's that's the real deal of, you know, this walk that I'm I'm saying about Kowana's whatever, or even an alpha.
00:47:05.440 --> 00:47:08.719
You know, it's one of those deals of when nobody's looking.
00:47:08.880 --> 00:47:15.360
I'm supposed to, I'm supposed to be where I'm sitting, I'm supposed to be a pillar of the community.
00:47:15.519 --> 00:47:26.000
I am not, and what you realize and come to the, you know, come into the to the termination is that I'm not doing great things deep down how I feel.
00:47:26.159 --> 00:47:33.119
I'm doing what I'm supposed to do because I'm paying it forward, because I represent those institutions.
00:47:33.440 --> 00:47:46.559
And when I do so, I mean I fail in regards to judgment in regards to character, that I failed the institutions and I failed the people who have poured into me.
00:47:46.719 --> 00:47:55.679
And so once you sort of internalize that, and to be honest with you, to the real fact that we're getting down to it, we're talking, I've actually failed Christ.
00:47:56.320 --> 00:48:10.639
And so what people, well, I think uh folks have it and they get it wrong is they think grace and mercy is this blank credit card that they get to go out and just cash and just put in anywhere, anywhere, and it doesn't work like that.
00:48:11.280 --> 00:48:20.480
When you're reborn, you're supposed to have the old you cast away, and you're supposed to work as hard as you can being the best version of you.
00:48:21.199 --> 00:48:30.480
And that's what character and that's what walking in the light is about, is about being the best version of you that you can be.
00:48:31.199 --> 00:48:32.320
My announcement too.
00:48:32.400 --> 00:48:38.639
I gotta always do these announcements for our church on our podcast.
00:48:39.280 --> 00:48:42.320
Uh the first one is um 619 project.
00:48:43.519 --> 00:48:45.679
Started parishes.
00:48:46.320 --> 00:48:49.199
Um put together a 619 project.
00:48:50.159 --> 00:49:04.400
And I'm gonna he's gonna tell you about the part about the the volunteers we've had for calling out, calling out to get people to get the vote because this election is very important to all of us.
00:49:04.639 --> 00:49:07.599
That's the main thing that I want to talk about.
00:49:08.239 --> 00:49:15.360
And saying that I was taught that all black folks ain't bad, and all white folks ain't good.
00:49:16.000 --> 00:49:20.559
So what we do and uh we call and get black people out to vote.
00:49:21.280 --> 00:49:25.599
Um He'll explain that and what what we want people to do who tune in.
00:49:25.840 --> 00:49:28.239
Can I can I make a point on that too?
00:49:28.639 --> 00:49:29.679
And acknowledge it.
00:49:29.760 --> 00:49:46.159
And being a Miles Law School alum, I want to really put out there that folks who think they can't vote or have records that the Magic City Bar does expungements all the time on a regular basis.
00:49:46.320 --> 00:49:59.760
So those of us, those of folks who are listening right now and who want to vote or maybe think they can't vote, I ask that you grant an announcement.
00:49:59.920 --> 00:50:04.480
Um again, Magic City Bar puts it on, the volunteer lawyers put it on.
00:50:04.880 --> 00:50:24.800
So we're talking about, again, we're talking about attorneys and lawyers lots of times get a bad rap, but for those who are really committed about the j about the work, the work, there's organizations that do work that nobody else can do, which is change lives through expungement programs, which is means clearing records.
00:50:25.119 --> 00:50:33.519
Second thing for you, second thing we want to make an announcement of is uh Ram Parrish has come up with a fantastic Bible study for the fall.
00:50:34.639 --> 00:50:40.320
And we want to make an announcement that uh in-person service.
00:50:40.400 --> 00:50:42.639
He's also sending it up where you can go.
00:50:43.119 --> 00:50:46.000
And uh, I presume he'll explain that to you in a few minutes.
00:50:46.079 --> 00:50:53.760
But we want to encourage y'all, which you brought up a few minutes ago by our people need to study.
00:50:55.679 --> 00:51:00.719
We got to study so Grim Paris, you can explain both of those things.
00:51:02.000 --> 00:51:04.159
So uh thank you, thank you, bro.
00:51:04.400 --> 00:51:16.559
Um, so with regard to the Reach the 619 project, um, 619,000 African Americans um did not vote in the last uh election in Alabama.
00:51:16.880 --> 00:51:20.719
619,000 African Americans did not vote.
00:51:21.119 --> 00:51:32.159
So they are classified as either infrequent or inactive voters and in the state of Alabama that qualifies them to be removed from the voting rolls.
00:51:32.880 --> 00:51:43.039
Um in of that 619,000, 140,000 African Americans did not vote in the in the county in Jefferson County.
00:51:44.079 --> 00:51:47.519
So Jefferson County has 140,000 people who did not vote.
00:51:47.920 --> 00:52:00.960
Now Reach the 619 um was started by the project was started by uh Representative Anthony Daniels, state representative Anthony Daniels, he's from the Huntsville area.
00:52:01.199 --> 00:52:07.599
Um he represents the Huntsville area, but he is also the state minority leader.
00:52:07.840 --> 00:52:17.599
And there are four ways that we're trying to reach um those 619,000 across the state and 140,000 in Jefferson County.
00:52:17.760 --> 00:52:29.119
We're doing texting, phone banking, um, postcards, well, postcards and door hangs, so really five postcards, door hangs, and then canvassing.
00:52:29.440 --> 00:52:33.280
So that that reaches us at all different levels.
00:52:33.440 --> 00:52:46.719
Not only were there 619,000 African Americans who didn't vote, there were about 207,000 um um other of people of other races who did not vote um in the last election.
00:52:46.880 --> 00:52:47.840
So we're reaching them.
00:52:47.920 --> 00:52:49.679
We're not telling anyone how to vote.
00:52:49.760 --> 00:52:50.800
We are a church.
00:52:50.960 --> 00:53:05.519
We will not have our you know tax status or anything revoked, but it's just the fact that we are not telling people how to vote, but we are only we are encouraging people to go vote and to vote their convictions.
00:53:05.679 --> 00:53:08.559
Vote, I'm sorry, to vote their best interests.
00:53:08.719 --> 00:53:12.880
You don't want to just vote for something that's not going to benefit you.
00:53:13.119 --> 00:53:15.599
Vote for your best interests.
00:53:15.760 --> 00:53:17.199
Vote for your best interest.
00:53:17.599 --> 00:53:22.000
Now, what also what um Deacon McKendle see, did we really should be able to do that?
00:53:22.320 --> 00:53:24.559
Deacon, like you said, now Deacon, I'm trustee.
00:53:24.960 --> 00:53:25.440
Trustee.
00:53:25.599 --> 00:53:38.960
Trustee McKendle was saying was that it's very important for us um to recognize that your record can be expunged, your voting, you can get your rights restored for voting.
00:53:39.119 --> 00:53:49.679
And I want to just add, the state of Alabama does not repeat, does not have to um take your voting rights if you get convicted of a felony.
00:53:49.840 --> 00:53:52.880
That is something that the state chooses to do.
00:53:53.199 --> 00:54:01.119
That is not a constitutional requirement by the federal government, that is not a federal constitutional requirement.
00:54:01.199 --> 00:54:03.519
It's just something that this state chooses to do.
00:54:03.599 --> 00:54:08.559
And the reason why I raise it is because it lets us know how important voting is.
00:54:08.719 --> 00:54:12.559
If they're trying to take it from you, it's so that you know.
00:54:12.719 --> 00:54:16.480
That's one key for you to know that it is very important.
00:54:16.639 --> 00:54:18.400
So reach the 619.
00:54:18.480 --> 00:54:21.280
If you have any questions or comments, just call the church office.
00:54:21.360 --> 00:54:24.719
I'd be more than happy to talk to you about how you can get involved in that.
00:54:24.960 --> 00:54:27.440
Second thing is we do have Bible studies going off.
00:54:27.599 --> 00:54:31.199
We going on, we call them the Magnificent Seven.
00:54:31.280 --> 00:54:41.039
We've got seven different Bible studies that are happening um between uh Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights, and Thursday nights all at 6 p.m.
00:54:41.280 --> 00:54:47.360
Um, Tuesday nights we have two, that's uh prayer and spiritual guidance and faith and finances.
00:54:47.760 --> 00:54:57.360
On Wednesday mornings, we have us uh uh we have a seniors Bible study at 11 o'clock there at the church, that's blended online.
00:54:57.519 --> 00:55:01.199
We have men's Bible study that starts at six, that's blended online.
00:55:01.599 --> 00:55:07.119
Uh Wonderful Word on Wednesday, which is our women's Bible study, that is online only.
00:55:07.280 --> 00:55:11.840
And we also have a youth, a young adult Bible study that's blended online as well.
00:55:12.000 --> 00:55:21.920
And then on Thursdays online only, we have Luke and Social Justice, a social justice Bible study that is not blended online, it's online only.
00:55:22.079 --> 00:55:25.440
But we more you you're more than welcome to participate in those things.
00:55:25.519 --> 00:55:34.320
And again, if you have any questions about that, please contact the church office and we'll be more than willing to um to help you find out all about that.
00:55:34.480 --> 00:55:38.239
Um, so trustee McKendall has been great for us today.
00:55:38.559 --> 00:55:43.440
We have the uh president, the state president next week.
00:55:43.679 --> 00:55:46.000
Is she the state president or the local?
00:55:46.960 --> 00:55:54.400
She's uh local chapter president, local chapter president of Zeta Fabeta Sorority Incorporated, who's going to be with us.
00:55:54.480 --> 00:55:55.519
And you know, Dr.
00:55:55.679 --> 00:55:58.079
Minor is in no way partial.
00:56:02.480 --> 00:56:05.280
In no way, in no way is he biased at all.
00:56:07.360 --> 00:56:08.480
Amen, amen.
00:56:08.960 --> 00:56:11.599
So, beloved, I mean, just thank you all so much.
00:56:11.760 --> 00:56:13.039
We uh can't wait.
00:56:13.119 --> 00:56:14.719
We're going to get better at this.
00:56:14.880 --> 00:56:15.920
We're going to get better.
00:56:16.000 --> 00:56:19.360
We've we've started doing this uh three years ago.
00:56:19.440 --> 00:56:24.800
We've had some wonderful, meaningful, really life-altering conversations.
00:56:25.039 --> 00:56:27.519
Wonderful, meaningful, and life-altering guests.
00:56:27.760 --> 00:56:29.039
God has truly blessed this.
00:56:29.119 --> 00:56:33.280
And so, with this new format, it's going to be amazing.
00:56:33.440 --> 00:56:37.519
And yeah, we're so grateful to our pastor, uh John Cantolo, Dr.
00:56:37.599 --> 00:56:45.599
John Cantolo III, who is allowing us and pushing us and really supporting us in this move, it's this movement and in this ministry.
00:56:45.760 --> 00:56:49.280
And so we're grateful for all of you who are joining us as well.
00:56:49.519 --> 00:56:55.760
And the name of the church is Sixth Avenue Baptist Church at 1101 Martin Luther, Dr.
00:56:56.079 --> 00:56:58.079
Martin Luther King Jr.
00:56:59.039 --> 00:56:59.760
Boulevard.
00:57:00.159 --> 00:57:02.800
I'm sorry, Avenue Strive, Southwest.
00:57:02.880 --> 00:57:03.679
I'm new to Birmingham.
00:57:03.840 --> 00:57:04.400
Y'all forget.
00:57:06.559 --> 00:57:09.519
Anybody got their hair cut up here, but we can't new.
00:57:11.119 --> 00:57:12.400
So thank you very much.
00:57:13.119 --> 00:57:13.599
Thank you, Keith.
00:57:13.840 --> 00:57:14.480
No, thank you.
00:57:14.559 --> 00:57:15.199
I appreciate it.
00:57:15.280 --> 00:57:16.719
Once again, I'd like to thank everyone.
00:57:16.800 --> 00:57:17.599
It was wonderful.
00:57:17.679 --> 00:57:19.840
I appreciate being part of the forum.
00:57:20.639 --> 00:57:21.199
Gratefully.
00:57:21.599 --> 00:57:23.360
You just didn't have enough time, Keith.
00:57:32.800 --> 00:57:35.199
They taught me to state like you wouldn't believe.
00:57:35.599 --> 00:57:35.920
Amen.
00:57:36.239 --> 00:57:38.320
He was just outside busting up the shit for real.
00:57:40.000 --> 00:57:40.960
All right, y'all.
00:57:41.119 --> 00:57:42.800
So thank you so much for signing off.
00:57:43.119 --> 00:57:43.519
Thank you, man.
00:57:43.679 --> 00:57:44.719
Keep looking up.
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.200
I always knew that I had a strong military family.
00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:07.360
But while in law school, I started researching some things in my family.
00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:16.399
And I found out that two members of my family were some of the earliest Union soldiers in the 1860s.
00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:20.800
And I found a unit and everything called the Second Louisiana Native Guard.
00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.800
And so you combine that with, now it's on my father's side.
00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:32.799
And on my mother's side, I went to, and God bless them from having it, but the Museum of Social Justice in Mont in Montgomery.
00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:42.719
And I found out that I had a family member in the uh 1880s that was lynched for voter registration.
00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:51.759
And when you sort of compare with some of the things that we're dealing with today, we think our things are quite as new and unique.
00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:53.520
And it's not.
00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:50.799
We have a special guest that is with us today, and we're going to ask, because we are an unabashedly Christian organization, we're going to ask Deacon Brown to open us up with a prayer, and then we'll ask Deacon Dr.
00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:53.359
Minor to introduce our guest.
00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:54.959
Good afternoon, you all.
00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:57.040
Just bow ahead in a moment of prayer.
00:01:57.280 --> 00:01:59.760
Father God, we just thank you for your son Jesus.
00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:03.040
Good news of the gospel, your Holy Spirit, and your word.
00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:05.760
Thank you, dear Lord, for saving us.
00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:09.599
Having mercy on us, filling us with the Holy Ghost.
00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:18.479
We ask for forgiveness of our sins and your anointing of your spirit for us to do well, to do good, and to do well in this world.
00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:25.599
We speak truth to power here, Lord, and we ask that you bless us, empower us with spiritual wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.
00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:29.199
Give us hope, dear Lord.
00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:34.159
Help us know that we will survive and we will overcome.
00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:36.879
Bless everyone on the sound of my voice.
00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:39.759
Keep us safe in your spirit.
00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:41.120
In Jesus' name, I pray.
00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:41.599
Amen.
00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:43.039
Amen.
00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:54.000
Gives me quite uh privilege and pleasure to introduce this young man as our guest today.
00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:58.319
Um Keith McKendall.
00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:12.879
He's uh as a JD, and he's also a PhD candidate in business at uh University uh William Wood.
00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:25.039
Um Keith has an outstanding career, and I'm sure he'll tell you more about it uh when he gets a chance to speak.
00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:28.560
But I'll say a few things about him.
00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:42.960
He uh is a board member of the Alabama District Kiwanas Foundation, and he'll tell you about his service as the governor of that organization.
00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:53.039
He finished Miles Law School at the top of the class, I believe, which is no small feat.
00:03:54.560 --> 00:04:08.080
He has a Masters of Science in Business Management from Troy University, a Bachelor's of Science of Electrical Technology from Southern University.
00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:13.439
He served in Louisiana, uh National Guard.
00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:21.920
And he's a life member of A5A, and I'm sure he's he will say something about that.
00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:34.639
He's gonna speak to us today about service, and I'll just title it National and Community Service, and I'll say more about that later when we get into discussion.
00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:37.040
So welcome, uh Keith.
00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:37.759
Thank you.
00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:39.040
Thank you, absolutely.
00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:45.920
And the floor is yours to talk freely uh for 20 or 30 minutes.
00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:46.800
Absolutely.
00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:59.920
Yeah, so no, it's uh great honor to be here and uh uh thank you for this forum and and for this uh uh this opportunity to discuss service.
00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:13.680
And so um, yeah, so the idea of service, uh, just finished a stint two years ago as the Alabama District Governor uh for Kiwanas uh International.
00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:16.480
Um that was historic in itself.
00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:27.680
Um and so Birmingham itself has the distinction of having the largest Kiwanas club in the entire world with over 500 members.
00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:35.839
And uh Montgomery is fourth in the world uh with about 300 members.
00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:52.480
And so the the State Fair of Alabama and Montgomery that does every year, they they give away in the neighborhood about 300,000, 300, over 300,000 and helping communities in the 17 county area in that area.
00:05:52.800 --> 00:06:01.759
So again, realizing that forum and the discussion right now is a focus from a Christian perspective uh of service.
00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:18.000
But again, um I full between my time in Alpha Learning and Alpha Military, uh in the Air National Guard as uh and again, Kwanas, and and so I've dedicated myself to a life of service.
00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:24.480
I forgot to mention that you do hold a current job with lawsome state.
00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:48.480
Yeah, so with uh everything that's going on, I am and so uh my disclaimer is that here I'm here as my own personal and Christian perspective, but the idea is that uh yes, I work as the uh I hold hold the honor and distinction of being the executive director for uh capital projects and operations at Lawson State.
00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:57.120
Now, I I I said uh earlier that I'm gonna call this National and Community Service.
00:06:57.600 --> 00:06:59.199
Keith, you may not know this.
00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:09.920
Once upon a time I headed National and Community Service for the state of Alabama under the Sigaman administration as one of his cabinet members.
00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:10.480
Really?
00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:22.639
And one of one of the things we did was bring America's Promise to Alabama, and that's Colin Powell's uh program, and we called it Alabama Promise.
00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:23.120
Uh-huh.
00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:29.040
So tell us, and I'm a Rotarian, by the way.
00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:30.879
Okay, yes, absolutely.
00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:33.199
Yeah, it's a same family, yeah.
00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:38.480
Yeah, so tell tell me what uh the Kiwanas are doing.
00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:42.319
So specifically, you mentioned Yeah, so a lot of folks.
00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:47.279
Yeah, so a lot of folks don't um are not familiar with Kiwanas.
00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:56.800
Uh historically in the um African American community, we don't have as much of a huge presence, but Kiwanas is an international organization.
00:07:57.279 --> 00:08:04.639
We have over 600,000 members, and our focus, our focus is children.
00:08:04.800 --> 00:08:10.879
Uh we have the largest uh high school organization, which is Key Club.
00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:30.240
So Key Club, um, and so between our membership, between Kawana, Circle K is our student uh college student contingent uh membership, we have Key Club uh, which is high school, we have Action Club, which are special needs.
00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:37.360
Um we also have Builders Club and uh K Kids, which are junior high elementary school and middle school.
00:08:37.519 --> 00:09:04.480
So again, um as far as Alabama itself, that lends itself, and key and Kiwana specifically has 3,000 members, 83 clubs, but with all of our what they call K family, we have about 12,000 members across the state, across the state that basically do community service, dedicated community service in every small town, every, as they say, hamlet you could think of across the state of Alabama.
00:09:07.279 --> 00:09:17.919
So again, the um forgive me the the the network of it you're doing community service across the state.
00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:33.279
I've seen um driving along Kowanis Club, Rotary Club, this this mile of road, this stretch of highway is maintained by the Kiwanis Club.
00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:35.039
Is it a fraternity?
00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:41.679
Is it um you know you spoke very diplomatically, you know, you you spoke as the as the governor.
00:09:41.919 --> 00:09:43.039
Yeah, absolutely.
00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:48.480
As a member, as a member, as a member, and did not start out as a member.
00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:50.240
I mean, start out as the governor.
00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:56.720
I mean, if to tell that for me, I I joined probably a little bit over 10 years ago.
00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:00.159
Um, the gist of it to start as just a member in a club.
00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:03.679
So you have a local club and it's just a local organization.
00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:11.039
And it's loosely as folks get together and realize, and our average club is 20 people and in Alabama.
00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:16.159
And so uh, and it's usually a group of folks and their focus is pancake breakfast.
00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:28.399
So the big thing is on a Saturday, and we're talking about folks who raise numbers like$20,000 on a pancake breakfast, and you'd be like, How do you raise$20,000 on the pancake breakfast?
00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:34.799
But places like Aniston and Huntsville, they'll literally raise numbers on$20,000 and$40,000.
00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:39.600
And this money, the proceeds that they go go directly into the community.
00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:43.279
Um, my governor year, we did the Challenge School Project.
00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:52.559
That was it was our um our 100th anniversary that year of Alabama being its own district of Kiwanas, and we celebrated that.
00:10:52.720 --> 00:11:08.000
But during that time, uh State Superintendent Eric Mackey, who's still the current superintendent, was extremely supportive because we started a challenge, a challenge schools project, which means at the time Alabama had 79 failing schools.
00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:19.679
And part of the issue or part of the challenge of why service is so important, when struggling schools and struggling communities, the first thing that they lose is not money.
00:11:19.919 --> 00:11:30.879
You know, which is surprising, the number one thing, and the first thing that they lose is community involvement and service hours to that school and to that community.
00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:36.080
And that goes prior to the funding and to the money and the private money.
00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:43.919
And that is truly the difference maker and the secret sauce in communities is straight up service.
00:11:44.159 --> 00:11:54.320
It's why, as a person, and I know it's rough for me right now because I have a Rotarian next to me on one side and a Kappa man on me and is a little is on the other side.
00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:58.320
And this is a struggle to knowing that you oh oh never mind.
00:11:58.879 --> 00:11:59.600
Oh never mind.
00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:01.600
Well, yeah.
00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:06.159
But but the idea is I take that one back.
00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:07.840
But I got the Rotarian on.
00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:22.879
But the but the idea is that no, all these, the divine nine, the service organizations, whether it's Rotary Lions or Koanas Club, these organizations and the membership are to be applauded because that's what truly changed communities.
00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:32.960
And the big thing is when you truly come as when we come together within these organizations, we literally, literally transform communities.
00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:34.639
And that's the big thing.
00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:46.559
And from a spiritual aspect and from a Christian aspect, you know, that's really, especially when we focus on the New Testament, when you get down into it, that's what that's what Jesus did.
00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:53.039
Jesus was a counselor, meaning that he counseled people who were in need.
00:12:53.200 --> 00:13:00.720
He was he was truly a social worker, he was truly a doctor going into communities that didn't want to serve.
00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:06.879
He was a healer, he fed the sick, he did all those things and spoke on all those things.
00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:23.840
And that's that's the thing that when you're talking about the work of the church, the work of the church is truly, in my opinion, is rolling up your sleeves, getting in your hands dirty, and as far as helping your neighbor, helping your community.
00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:27.120
And that's that's what it's truly about.
00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:28.240
Okay.
00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:30.559
You were talking about the divine nine.
00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:32.559
I see you got blue and white on.
00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:37.039
But those are Kiwanas couple, or so I'll just we do have a single in the room.
00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:37.600
Okay.
00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:39.919
Speak it.
00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:41.840
Also, also not me.
00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:44.399
Speaking, also not me.
00:13:44.799 --> 00:14:02.720
But uh something interesting in your background uh related to a major event that occurred in the United States is that you had some role in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:07.039
I don't know the details of it, but I think you were involved.
00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:09.120
Highly, highly.
00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:20.000
Those were um I've had a number of transformable or historical events that I was a participant.
00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:26.559
I mean my military years, during my career, I was around during the California power crisis.
00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:33.120
Um Hurricane Katrina, I spent nine years worth of uh recovery, been participating in the recovery.
00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:40.559
I'm a New Orleanian, uh proud New Orleanian who married uh married an Alabamian, so uh I relocated.
00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:46.559
So the joke I always say is Alabama works like Louisiana, that you're born into it or you marry into it.
00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:51.840
So I got my Alabama called Honestly, uh, which is I married into it.
00:14:52.080 --> 00:15:04.000
But no, I spent um time with Oshner Hospital, and I was in charge of the recovery at Dillard University as the assistant vice president of facilities.
00:15:04.159 --> 00:15:10.559
So during that time, um guided, worked under the president at the time, Dr.
00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:16.720
Hughes, uh Baleen Hughes, and um and and who later came Dr.
00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:22.320
Walter Kimbrough, who's over the UNCF as the executive director right now.
00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:26.080
And um, it was a very much a historical time.
00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:32.000
And we were successful, blessed that we were successful in guiding that recovery.
00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:42.240
And um, and right now, and I'll acknowledge also who was part of the administration as the provost is the current president of Stillman College, Dr.
00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:42.960
Page.
00:15:43.519 --> 00:15:54.320
So uh we had a very a good group, a good uh uh it w again, it was a historical time, and we were focused on service and doing good work.
00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:56.480
And it was life-changing.
00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:00.639
Was that during the time uh General Honory took control?
00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:16.399
Well, yeah, I came in day nine, I was a volunteer at Oshner Hospital, and later worked for facilities, and so uh experiences that I learned because I was li I lived in California, and my quick story is I went, I had great mentors there.
00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:25.519
And so when and we're we're basically around 9-11, like today, you know, basically today is 9-11 and acknowledging that time frame.
00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:34.480
But um and so what I ended up doing is coming home and going to grad school during that period and ended up on the coast at Troy.
00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:38.720
And Troy had a campus on the the in Pensacola.
00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:43.840
As soon as I finished, a couple months after I finished, uh, Katrina happened.
00:16:44.080 --> 00:17:08.319
And um during that, basically, I ended up being a facilities manager at Oshner Hospital, where we purchased five hospitals and had to deal with the devastation post-Katrina and some of the stuff that were the headlines that the hospital had closed because they had um uh the travesty, the one ups down.
00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:22.799
But my boss, but my supervisor who I worked for, who's the director there for many years, um, I worked under him and he brought that hospital back to life um from nothing and with a total devastation there.
00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:30.799
And um, we ran main campus, main campus grew in size, so we're talking about the something the size of uh UAB.
00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:36.960
And in that I went to work for Oshner Hospital, that would have been year five when they were struggling.
00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:39.680
I probably had only a third of the campus up.
00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:46.720
But in that, um, I was responsible for a$300 million profile, um, which was everything.
00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:59.680
Um, and in that we put a community center on campus during the time I was there, a health center, um, because of what we're talking about that it didn't have we didn't they didn't have health care in the area for the community.
00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:10.640
So we partnered with Daughters of Charity, which is uh a Catholic contingent arm, um a healthcare arm.
00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:21.119
Um and that was on campus, and as well as um prior to my leaving we hosted um First Lady Michelle Obama at the time.
00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:29.200
So again, for those who are involved, everyone uh is very proud of their time there because it was historic.
00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:38.880
All the experiences were real good back in the day, and I think that's probably why I look at you and he got the he has a million-dollar smile.
00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:50.319
I mean, you don't just when you when you when you see him, uh I saw him at Lowe's and he was in line talking to the cashier, and he flowed him.
00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:55.359
We just he just he just has it.
00:18:55.519 --> 00:19:00.720
I want you to do uh uh two things I want you to discuss with me for a minute.
00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:05.920
Service is so important to everybody in this room, that's what we call it.
00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:13.519
Uh and I I appreciate you uh saying that and saying what you have said.
00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:21.440
Um I want you to touch on what this administration has it done anything to curtail what you're doing, that's number one.
00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:35.039
And give me some ideas as to things that we as followers of Christ I'm skeptical about using that word Christian now because some folks, you know where I'm going.
00:19:35.359 --> 00:19:37.359
Oh, yeah, that's the diploma.
00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:50.240
You know, the political stuff, and I'll go back to it, and I kind of purposely kind of stay away from it depending on the setting, but as a Kwanian, I'll go back to that.
00:19:51.119 --> 00:20:09.759
You know, I've been in a room with folks as red as red can be, but the one thing about it is that everybody has common goals that they pretty much want, meaning they make their schools better, they make their communities better.
00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:10.240
Right.
00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:18.720
And, you know, what everybody focuses on, and they can't lose sight of is that we go international organizations.
00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:24.640
So we come around the world when we have a convention and we'll have folks from we just had Nepal.
00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:28.880
I literally have folks that I know from Nepal, being a Kauanian.
00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:37.039
I literally have folks I know in Taiwan, and you get invited, come to China or come here, that you have folks, you know, all over.
00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:44.480
So it's bigger, especially when you're talking about Christ-like and doing Christ's work, is bigger than borders of countries.
00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:45.119
Thank you.
00:20:45.359 --> 00:20:52.880
And it's bigger when you're talking about Christ's work and Christ the church, it spans generations.
00:20:53.279 --> 00:21:10.880
And when you go back to what our what our, as far as as a people, and we talk as an African American and from an old city in New Orleans, I recently in law school found out something that floored me, which is I always knew that I had a strong military family.
00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:14.880
I went through the air guard when the Gulf War was kicking off.
00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:19.599
You know, I have friends, I have family members, great uncles and stuff.
00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:22.559
I know it was World War II, and I was extremely proud of that.
00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:36.000
But while in law school, I started researching some things in my family, and I found out that two members of my family were some of the earliest union soldiers in the 1860s.
00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:59.119
And I was absolutely floored, meaning that the struggle, we're talking about folks who dealt with stuff of one when secession, full-fledged secession of the union, keeping the union together, folks who came from um meager backgrounds, less you know, less opportunity.
00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:07.599
Not one, but two signed up and I found a unit and everything called the Second Louisiana Native Guard.
00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:14.880
So they were the some of the earliest Union soldiers to engage Confederates in this country.
00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:19.039
And so you combine that with, now it's on my father's side.
00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:27.039
And on my mother's side, I went to, and God bless them from having it, but the Museum of Social Justice in Mont in Montgomery.
00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:37.039
And I found out that I had a family member in the uh 1880s that was lynched for voter registration.
00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:39.039
Yeah and on my mother's side.
00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:43.119
So and her family's from Appaloosis, Louisiana.
00:22:43.440 --> 00:22:59.279
So you're talking about, and when you sort of compare with some of the things that we're dealing with today, I will say we think our things are applied as new and unique, and it's not.
00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:13.680
And service and helping our neighbors at a high level, uh basically it is beyond some of the, and I'll just call it what it is, some of the petty politics.
00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:40.000
Um Governor Ivey, and again, uh Connie alluded to it, but the Governor Ivey, as well as Secretary Mackey, was extremely supportive of our challenge school project, where we are focused on, and this we're ending it this year, of the 79 failing schools around the state, downtown Birmingham Club, and I want to acknowledge uh Chef Pepway with his reading program.
00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:47.279
Um, and and again, you look at who's down there, not everybody's blue and not everybody's red.
00:23:47.839 --> 00:24:04.640
But everybody is rallying or can rally behind literacy and helping chill and helping young people, and really, and that's where a big return on investment comes in investing in education and uplifting young people.
00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:07.920
Because it changes minds, changes perspectives.
00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:14.960
And when you're changing perspective, again, now we talked about other other things, but my hangout, I was a boys club kid.
00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:26.400
You know, I'm extremely proud of the fact of that I was a youth of the year, met the governor for Louisiana at the time, um, for my city for high school.
00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:38.720
So I was in right outside the city of New Orleans in Slidell, Louisiana, and I was a youth of the year recipient and met the governor, and that was that I was exposed to folks who and it was a Republican administration.
00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:40.160
State there.
00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:54.079
And they were extremely supportive, extremely gracious when we visited and opportunities, and those types of opportunities were life-changing because I got to understand past the narrative that we see every day.
00:24:54.720 --> 00:25:09.920
And one last thing when we go back to that when we look at the news, a lot of times people capture what they see off of what they see off TV and social media, have to realize that people do good work and change their community every day.
00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:12.799
But I want to say that does not sell papers.
00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:15.920
That does not generate clicks.
00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:34.160
You know, um that and that's why the last part of the day on your national and local news, meaning that they've dedicated 25 minutes of negativity, 2020, you might get some commercial, and you leave with the whole five minutes of we'll give you an uplift and moment.
00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:56.319
Meanwhile, you have social workers, teachers, you have firemen, you have police officers, you have a litany of occupations, physicians who are saving people in emergency rooms, doing great work, and we'll talk about their great work and their vocational is vocations that they've committed their life to is actually God's work.
00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:00.559
And and saving lives, clerk and clergy.
00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:06.319
But again, that type of those types of activities don't sell clicks.
00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:09.119
So generate clicks, I should say.
00:26:09.599 --> 00:26:12.160
If I may, let let the rookie ask.
00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:15.039
Um I I received that.
00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:17.039
Let the rookie ask.
00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:37.200
I'd like to know there are times when we must enter into the political sphere just to confront naked aggression, overt, evil.
00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:37.839
Yeah.
00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:40.559
And there's strife between that.
00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:45.200
And you have to be comfortable in that strife and a time and a place.
00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:57.119
The the Martin Luther King is a that we know and love, that people lots of time package and sell the soft Martin Dr.
00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:03.759
Martin Luther King for me as an alpha brother Martin Luther King, was not the soft one that they loved to package.
00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:15.519
He wrote the letter from Birmingham jail directly confronting, I'll keep the word, confronting other clergy.
00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:30.559
And when you're doing God's work, you know, and we have a duty, a duty to especially for me going to law school, I feel that sense of duty and that sense of justice.
00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:39.920
I mean, you j George Floyd had a a huge impact on me watching that on TV.
00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:47.359
Watching someone literally the neck snapped in a violent manner, or the breathing and and that sort of thing.
00:27:54.960 --> 00:28:18.559
But the the point I'm um I want to make is that rather than focus on the negativity of what you said, the confrontation is love and good works, because what they wanna what folks wanna do with either side of negativity, they want to to basically dim the light on people, on what makes things great.
00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:47.039
And so what happens is for people to to to basically to accomplish and and to to accomplish what their goal, which is negativity through corruption or to circumvent the processes, I couldn't agree with you more about people need to avoid this form or why um c you know, stepping out on as they say, on faith off of why it's important to do righteous work.
00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:59.359
You know, when I was a Kowanian, started out in Kowana as as far as like I said, as the governor of the state and representing the state, um you you're representing us it it's it's a prominent role.
00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:08.000
And so the role and again, during that time, still it was it's tumultuous times.
00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:21.519
But the idea is, again, going in circles of of folks who not necessarily agree with me politically and to speak truth to power, to say I'm from the Lord Nightwater New Orleans.
00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:24.000
I was a riff kid, you know.
00:29:24.160 --> 00:29:45.759
I I got to enjoy the bookmobile, I got to enjoy, you know, the safety of the boys club and all these programs, and to openly say these programs that of those of us of a certain generation know of in the 80s, of a kid in the 80s, that those programs work.
00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:49.039
You know, the Cosby show and and this is real.
00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:57.680
So it's easy to become discouraged, it's easy to become frustrated, but the idea of those things work.
00:29:58.640 --> 00:30:09.599
And and so, and the last thing I say is because I'm a product of the 80s and 90s, folks say, you know, we operated a little bit different than the 60s, and we do.
00:30:09.759 --> 00:30:16.960
We had people like Reginald Lewis, who we had people like who's the first African-American billionaire.
00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:23.599
We had people like, you know, um Ron Brown, who was over the DNC.
00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:46.559
Those are the people who influenced me in college, the people who call in power, the people who understand truth to power and how do you influence things at the board table that you can make big different a lot of cases you could in at the board table, you can make more influence than you can in regards to policy table or even protesting sometimes.
00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:48.880
I think there's a place for everyone.
00:30:49.119 --> 00:31:02.880
You know, it's not a one size fits all, but at the end of the day, you know, it's a commun it's a group effort to understand that there's people doing the right things right now during this time quietly to make changes in this country.
00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:06.000
I'm gonna ask you all this.
00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:09.680
Fantastic.
00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:19.440
One thing that uh I'm a product of the 50s and 60s and we started this what about three years ago?
00:31:22.079 --> 00:31:24.640
Because we didn't know what we did.
00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:31.440
We know how we had to get our kids children.
00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:46.160
Since we started this, we found out that the same thing that the same way we would come down with people like y'all generally.
00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:54.400
We run across so many young men who seeded the threat.
00:31:55.599 --> 00:31:56.880
They understand it.
00:31:57.519 --> 00:32:04.880
But like you they believe in service, they believe in Jesus, they believe in speaking truth to power.
00:32:05.759 --> 00:32:08.559
So I have no me and Doc was talking.
00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:12.960
He's going to Minnesota.
00:32:13.920 --> 00:32:32.640
Tomorrow they gonna Doc was part of the the group back in the 50s, 60s, 68, I think, that demonstrated in the University of Minnesota they got them to implement black history on campus and they record they they could keep in touch and he's doing a he's speaking up there this weekend, that's right.
00:32:32.880 --> 00:32:34.400
He's leaving in the morning.
00:32:35.680 --> 00:32:46.640
But from that position to where we are now and what we've accomplished, you can see the work of Jesus service all the way down the line.
00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:50.079
The impact that you're having with the corners.
00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:52.240
When I was coming up, you couldn't spell it.
00:32:52.400 --> 00:32:54.079
There's no one be a part of it.
00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:57.119
But look at what's what you all are doing.
00:32:57.920 --> 00:33:06.559
Last but not least, I just I'm impressed with the uh we didn't get a chance to even talk about your military experiences.
00:33:07.119 --> 00:33:11.039
But that does and has a lot of effect on where you are now too in.
00:33:11.359 --> 00:33:12.000
Absolutely.
00:33:12.079 --> 00:33:17.039
And when you go back to all my life, I mean, it it's sort of a building.
00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:24.480
You know, when you first as a younger person, because I'll go back to it started as a kid when you're talking about something as simple as scouting.
00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:24.960
Yeah.
00:33:26.640 --> 00:33:27.200
What scouting?
00:33:27.519 --> 00:33:27.680
Yeah.
00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:34.559
And so when you're talking the Bible about teaching early, um, I mean, all those things play an impact.
00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:45.920
And we sort of alluded to it earlier, that, you know, I spent times at Miles, I director of career services at Miles, and so I've got to influence a lot of young people.
00:33:46.240 --> 00:33:53.119
But what I joke about, especially in New Orleans, of some of the people like, you know, Norman Francis, Dr.
00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:57.839
Norman Francis, who was uh president at Xavier, or Dr.
00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:09.760
Charles Timor, who was general president of Alpha, and folks like um who had a big influence when um he passed, was Malt Moriel's father.
00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:13.679
I was a young Alpha just had gone over when his father passed.
00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:19.840
Um Dutch Mallorial, who was the uh general president of Alpha, oh, his resume is extensive.
00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:26.800
Uh he was first um African mayor mayor of New Orleans, he was a general president of Alpha.
00:34:26.960 --> 00:34:32.079
So getting to see these folks, and I'll go back to you, building upon institutions.
00:34:32.880 --> 00:34:43.039
So as I sit here to in front you today, rather than you know, Keith, McKendall, truly what I'm standing on are institutions.
00:34:43.280 --> 00:34:49.039
Some of those institutions are predominantly African American institutions, some of them I'm not.
00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:53.440
But I'm a product of all of those institutions.
00:34:53.679 --> 00:35:00.800
William Woods University, William Woods, I'm out the first cohort for the business program over there.
00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:07.119
It was a college founded in 1870, mostly mostly female till 93.
00:35:08.159 --> 00:35:10.239
Not a lot of African Americans.
00:35:10.400 --> 00:35:16.159
Um, but the idea is that I I am now a product of that even.
00:35:16.719 --> 00:35:33.760
And so again, and we know we have a lot of folks who went went to uh Alabama, went to Auburn, but you know, when you embrace all of that, we those those institutions have an effect on us and we become products of those.
00:35:34.000 --> 00:35:34.880
We built that.
00:35:35.119 --> 00:35:35.760
Yeah, absolutely.
00:35:36.079 --> 00:35:38.320
We built it, built it before we went to it.
00:35:38.639 --> 00:35:39.039
Yeah.
00:35:39.280 --> 00:35:40.480
And that's what it go back to.
00:35:40.639 --> 00:35:41.280
Troy's a product.
00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:42.800
And right now, making them rich.
00:35:43.039 --> 00:35:45.360
And so we go back to I'm a product of Troy.
00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:49.119
I'm um I I I am gracious I'm grateful.
00:35:49.280 --> 00:35:50.960
My brother went to Troy as well.
00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:56.480
And so I'm grateful because uh that community has embraced me.
00:35:56.719 --> 00:36:07.599
Um and so again, it's not as narrow as folks like to see, but again, that's I go back to what you said earlier that it's important that we confront it.
00:36:07.920 --> 00:36:16.639
And and and it's there's a variety of tools in the toolbox when there's injustice of the world and how you in how do you deal with injustice.
00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:31.599
And so the injustice is when we're talking about young people, an injustice to me is that a young person going hungry in the richest country in this world, and we have hungry children every day that affects their schooling.
00:36:31.679 --> 00:36:53.199
That affects when they have you statistically, you can find when that when a young person doesn't have the right diet, or you and they're going to school and hung uh hungry, um, you know, access to books, access to education, access to technology, those are things that are worth going, those are things worth fighting for.
00:36:53.599 --> 00:36:58.480
So just because you're on it, and forgive me, Dr.
00:36:58.639 --> 00:37:07.360
Minor, but just because you're on it, it it it kind of makes me want to I have to ask this, and I I need to just give you some context.
00:37:07.440 --> 00:37:19.840
Um and it's not to be boastful, just so you know where I come from, because I'm not boasting, but I grew up with because my dad was in the student nonviolent coordinating committee.
00:37:20.320 --> 00:37:21.519
So I grew up with H.
00:37:21.679 --> 00:37:28.960
Rap Brown coming to the house, uh Stokely Carmichael and them, um, before he started this Pan-Africanism.
00:37:29.440 --> 00:37:33.440
Um my dad was trained by Fannie Lou Hamer.
00:37:33.519 --> 00:37:39.760
There are pictures of me being held by Fannie Lou Hamer as a baby, um Ella Baker.
00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:47.920
Um and so I grew up with these folks who were very confrontational and who fought for social change.
00:37:48.079 --> 00:38:03.840
When I got called into ministry, the person that I look up to to this day, and who I think is just the greatest personification of Christ on earth is not Martin Luther King, it's Fred Shuttlesworth.
00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:06.800
And so I've always wanted to be like Fred Shuttlesworth.
00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:09.039
That's what I felt like a minister would be.
00:38:09.280 --> 00:38:18.400
So now the reason I raise those things is because um we have organizations that will often do the humanitarian stuff.
00:38:18.559 --> 00:38:23.679
They come in, they're they're nonpartisan, they do the humanitarian things.
00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:40.880
But for me, I'm always looking for those organizations to do the humanitarian things, but then to also work to change it so that those situations, those circumstances that require us to do the humanitarian things are no longer there.
00:38:41.039 --> 00:38:55.840
So now I'm I'm not in any way trying to diminish what you've told us, but I just wonder, is there another arm that that so you've you've got those the streets work down, but what about in the suites where the decisions are being made?
00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:58.880
What about in the Congress, in the state houses?
00:38:59.039 --> 00:39:06.559
What about, I mean, we've got the work down for when we need to feed the feed children and do those things.
00:39:06.800 --> 00:39:09.360
What about the fact that they need to be fed at all?
00:39:09.599 --> 00:39:10.800
Like what about those things?
00:39:10.880 --> 00:39:12.079
That's what the I'm saying.
00:39:12.239 --> 00:39:20.480
So no, we that we address those, but what happens is when we go back to, I'm enjoying this because we're both kind of sons of similar backgrounds.
00:39:20.639 --> 00:39:27.599
My father was a he was arrested in civil rights movement in New Orleans in the early 60s.
00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:34.239
So so we're talking about he was in college and him and my mom, my mom was a beatnik.
00:39:34.639 --> 00:39:41.920
So for those who don't know, before the hippies, be prior to the hippies, it was a thing of a beatnik.
00:39:42.159 --> 00:39:46.559
So my parents were in college and they were married in the early 60s.
00:39:46.800 --> 00:39:51.360
And so I'm a I'm a truly a pro I get where you're coming from, man.
00:39:51.440 --> 00:39:52.000
Do I get it?
00:39:52.079 --> 00:39:53.280
So I was like you.
00:39:53.599 --> 00:40:01.119
My parents had all these folks who was at the house and they were active in the civil rights movement as really foot soldiers.
00:40:01.280 --> 00:40:03.840
But I'll go back to they were the college students.
00:40:04.000 --> 00:40:08.400
So my father retired with the federal government.
00:40:08.639 --> 00:40:15.199
And so he was um now, so he and I'll just say he was retired with the Internal Revenue Service.
00:40:15.360 --> 00:40:20.159
So his big thing was and did a lot of public, he was the good guy, as they say.
00:40:20.239 --> 00:40:22.639
If you do, you know, he was a good guy.
00:40:22.960 --> 00:40:30.559
So what we go back to of it was big about honesty and fair play.
00:40:30.880 --> 00:40:33.280
And and and everybody gets a fair shake.
00:40:33.440 --> 00:40:34.800
And so I was raised with that.
00:40:34.960 --> 00:40:36.719
So I get where you're coming from.
00:40:36.960 --> 00:40:49.280
You know, when you talk about, I s I talked about of all a lot of civil rights characters, oh, I shouldn't say characters, civil rights figures that you identify with, the one that's forgotten is my guy.
00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:56.000
And you wanna who I model myself after is nobody talks about him anymore, but he was Whitney Young.
00:40:56.159 --> 00:40:56.559
Oh, yeah.
00:40:56.800 --> 00:41:09.119
And so Whitney Young, when you look at it, for those who don't know, Whitney Young probably in the boardroom, LBJ loved, FBJ was very fond of Whitney Young.
00:41:09.360 --> 00:41:20.320
So where Martin Luther King was in the streets, Thurgood Marshall was in the courts, you had Whitney Young was in the boardroom.
00:41:20.639 --> 00:41:26.960
And what you have, and I'll say this, when there's a room, and they're gonna be very happy.
00:41:27.039 --> 00:41:29.440
I'm giving them a shout out right now.
00:41:29.920 --> 00:41:35.199
But over in um Tequila Mockingbird, uh what's the Texas?
00:41:35.440 --> 00:41:36.880
No, no, yeah, what's the town?
00:41:37.039 --> 00:41:38.320
Umruver.
00:41:39.440 --> 00:41:45.599
Mumruva Koranas Kwanas took on the Klan and then ran the Klan out with Santa Claus.
00:41:45.840 --> 00:41:47.280
They did this whole expose.
00:41:47.519 --> 00:41:48.880
I found out about it.
00:41:49.760 --> 00:41:53.599
And it's one of these wonderful stories of what you're talking about.
00:41:53.840 --> 00:42:01.360
Because part of why Miles Law School was founded was because the lack of African-American attorneys.
00:42:01.519 --> 00:42:05.119
So you had Mason Davis and you had only a few attorneys.
00:42:05.360 --> 00:42:20.960
But I want to be open and say that, and not that, and you had a lot of folks who in the past took on cases that caused them a lot of heartache, that they didn't have to take those cases on.
00:42:21.199 --> 00:42:31.599
And so I want to acknowledge that in a lot of cases that you have to have, it takes for international stuff to happen, it takes a whole, it takes a village.
00:42:31.760 --> 00:42:33.599
It takes folks outside of community.
00:42:33.760 --> 00:42:36.559
It's not a sort of one size fits all.
00:42:36.880 --> 00:42:39.760
And so when you go back, I get where you're coming from.
00:42:39.840 --> 00:42:43.280
And there's a and there's a time and a place to be in the streets.
00:42:43.440 --> 00:42:45.280
There's a time and a place to be in the court.
00:42:46.400 --> 00:42:49.119
There's a time and a place to be in the boardroom.
00:42:49.360 --> 00:42:56.639
And there's a time and a and it is, and again, there's it's not a one-size fits-all because you're talking about truth to power.
00:42:56.719 --> 00:43:03.199
You're talking about in a lot of cases where the establishment is set there to hinder a lot of things.
00:43:03.440 --> 00:43:11.119
But at the end of the day, it's people who honestly makes a difference, especially the church.
00:43:11.519 --> 00:43:16.719
And people involved in good people involved in organizations and churches.
00:43:16.800 --> 00:43:22.559
And I want to acknowledge the the impact of the church that the 60s made.
00:43:22.719 --> 00:43:25.599
You know, in the 60s, there's a reason why churches were bombed.
00:43:25.760 --> 00:43:26.079
Thank you.
00:43:26.239 --> 00:43:26.880
And there's a good reason.
00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:29.519
And there's a reason why.
00:43:29.679 --> 00:43:35.440
You know, for Martin Luther King, the folks that c uh that protected him, I think it was the deacons they called them.
00:43:36.480 --> 00:43:37.280
The deacons for defense.
00:43:38.559 --> 00:43:44.960
Yeah, these were these were people, I want to say it, these these were not them fellas.
00:43:45.360 --> 00:43:46.559
These were not cheap.
00:43:46.719 --> 00:43:48.400
These were God-fearing people.
00:43:50.559 --> 00:43:51.440
Who stood up.
00:43:51.599 --> 00:44:10.639
And so the idea is that, no, when you're on the side of righteousness, and to to be a lot of people think that you have to put a secular But when you really God inspires you and moves you and you're on the side of righteousness, you know, you know, it it nothing moves you like that.
00:44:10.719 --> 00:44:20.400
And when you know God has filled you to do something of purpose, you know, we talked about in Katrina and some of the places that I've that I've been.
00:44:20.719 --> 00:44:28.239
That again, looking at New Testament, looking at, you know, so God mission is the only way you get stuff done.
00:44:28.559 --> 00:44:31.679
Keith, you uh laid quite a bit on the table.
00:44:31.920 --> 00:44:32.239
Didn't you?
00:44:32.639 --> 00:44:34.079
And we didn't get into time.
00:44:34.400 --> 00:44:36.079
I know we are running out of time.
00:44:36.239 --> 00:44:39.760
There are there are several issues I wanted to follow up on, but we don't have the time.
00:44:40.079 --> 00:44:40.639
Sure ain't.
00:44:41.119 --> 00:44:47.280
But I'll just say make this statement, and you can respond to it uh as you wish.
00:44:47.519 --> 00:45:02.480
Um I always observed and noticed that with all of the churches that we have in the land, like one on every corner, why do we see or have sin?
00:45:04.000 --> 00:45:22.400
And the parallel question is with all of these service organizations nationwide, why haven't we written uh the country of basic problems like food, clothing, and clothing and shelter, and health care?
00:45:24.079 --> 00:45:35.840
And so what becomes a huge challenge for any organization, and and when you're talking about movements and anybody who's been in organization, how do you roll together?
00:45:36.000 --> 00:45:38.320
That's why this country grows when it struggles.
00:45:38.480 --> 00:45:48.400
You look at 9-11 or any sort of when we had COVID, when this country focuses on a problem, we do exceptional things.
00:46:13.039 --> 00:46:19.280
The problem is when we look at communities and who we are, we're we're pretty a fragmented group.
00:46:19.440 --> 00:46:23.679
You look at folks look at as this country, we we are.
00:46:23.920 --> 00:46:40.239
So it becomes a struggle because again, as human beings, it's just our nature that we sometimes worry about small stuff and gets down to pettiness instead of focusing on the big goals and the big issues that that plague on the ground.
00:46:43.360 --> 00:46:44.960
Character is the most important thing.
00:46:45.199 --> 00:46:55.280
Character, especially as a Christian, you know, when we talk about Christianity, character is what you do when no one's watching.
00:46:55.679 --> 00:47:04.800
And that's that's the real deal of, you know, this walk that I'm I'm saying about Kowana's whatever, or even an alpha.
00:47:05.440 --> 00:47:08.719
You know, it's one of those deals of when nobody's looking.
00:47:08.880 --> 00:47:15.360
I'm supposed to, I'm supposed to be where I'm sitting, I'm supposed to be a pillar of the community.
00:47:15.519 --> 00:47:26.000
I am not, and what you realize and come to the, you know, come into the to the termination is that I'm not doing great things deep down how I feel.
00:47:26.159 --> 00:47:33.119
I'm doing what I'm supposed to do because I'm paying it forward, because I represent those institutions.
00:47:33.440 --> 00:47:46.559
And when I do so, I mean I fail in regards to judgment in regards to character, that I failed the institutions and I failed the people who have poured into me.
00:47:46.719 --> 00:47:55.679
And so once you sort of internalize that, and to be honest with you, to the real fact that we're getting down to it, we're talking, I've actually failed Christ.
00:47:56.320 --> 00:48:10.639
And so what people, well, I think uh folks have it and they get it wrong is they think grace and mercy is this blank credit card that they get to go out and just cash and just put in anywhere, anywhere, and it doesn't work like that.
00:48:11.280 --> 00:48:20.480
When you're reborn, you're supposed to have the old you cast away, and you're supposed to work as hard as you can being the best version of you.
00:48:21.199 --> 00:48:30.480
And that's what character and that's what walking in the light is about, is about being the best version of you that you can be.
00:48:31.199 --> 00:48:32.320
My announcement too.
00:48:32.400 --> 00:48:38.639
I gotta always do these announcements for our church on our podcast.
00:48:39.280 --> 00:48:42.320
Uh the first one is um 619 project.
00:48:43.519 --> 00:48:45.679
Started parishes.
00:48:46.320 --> 00:48:49.199
Um put together a 619 project.
00:48:50.159 --> 00:49:04.400
And I'm gonna he's gonna tell you about the part about the the volunteers we've had for calling out, calling out to get people to get the vote because this election is very important to all of us.
00:49:04.639 --> 00:49:07.599
That's the main thing that I want to talk about.
00:49:08.239 --> 00:49:15.360
And saying that I was taught that all black folks ain't bad, and all white folks ain't good.
00:49:16.000 --> 00:49:20.559
So what we do and uh we call and get black people out to vote.
00:49:21.280 --> 00:49:25.599
Um He'll explain that and what what we want people to do who tune in.
00:49:25.840 --> 00:49:28.239
Can I can I make a point on that too?
00:49:28.639 --> 00:49:29.679
And acknowledge it.
00:49:29.760 --> 00:49:46.159
And being a Miles Law School alum, I want to really put out there that folks who think they can't vote or have records that the Magic City Bar does expungements all the time on a regular basis.
00:49:46.320 --> 00:49:59.760
So those of us, those of folks who are listening right now and who want to vote or maybe think they can't vote, I ask that you grant an announcement.
00:49:59.920 --> 00:50:04.480
Um again, Magic City Bar puts it on, the volunteer lawyers put it on.
00:50:04.880 --> 00:50:24.800
So we're talking about, again, we're talking about attorneys and lawyers lots of times get a bad rap, but for those who are really committed about the j about the work, the work, there's organizations that do work that nobody else can do, which is change lives through expungement programs, which is means clearing records.
00:50:25.119 --> 00:50:33.519
Second thing for you, second thing we want to make an announcement of is uh Ram Parrish has come up with a fantastic Bible study for the fall.
00:50:34.639 --> 00:50:40.320
And we want to make an announcement that uh in-person service.
00:50:40.400 --> 00:50:42.639
He's also sending it up where you can go.
00:50:43.119 --> 00:50:46.000
And uh, I presume he'll explain that to you in a few minutes.
00:50:46.079 --> 00:50:53.760
But we want to encourage y'all, which you brought up a few minutes ago by our people need to study.
00:50:55.679 --> 00:51:00.719
We got to study so Grim Paris, you can explain both of those things.
00:51:02.000 --> 00:51:04.159
So uh thank you, thank you, bro.
00:51:04.400 --> 00:51:16.559
Um, so with regard to the Reach the 619 project, um, 619,000 African Americans um did not vote in the last uh election in Alabama.
00:51:16.880 --> 00:51:20.719
619,000 African Americans did not vote.
00:51:21.119 --> 00:51:32.159
So they are classified as either infrequent or inactive voters and in the state of Alabama that qualifies them to be removed from the voting rolls.
00:51:32.880 --> 00:51:43.039
Um in of that 619,000, 140,000 African Americans did not vote in the in the county in Jefferson County.
00:51:44.079 --> 00:51:47.519
So Jefferson County has 140,000 people who did not vote.
00:51:47.920 --> 00:52:00.960
Now Reach the 619 um was started by the project was started by uh Representative Anthony Daniels, state representative Anthony Daniels, he's from the Huntsville area.
00:52:01.199 --> 00:52:07.599
Um he represents the Huntsville area, but he is also the state minority leader.
00:52:07.840 --> 00:52:17.599
And there are four ways that we're trying to reach um those 619,000 across the state and 140,000 in Jefferson County.
00:52:17.760 --> 00:52:29.119
We're doing texting, phone banking, um, postcards, well, postcards and door hangs, so really five postcards, door hangs, and then canvassing.
00:52:29.440 --> 00:52:33.280
So that that reaches us at all different levels.
00:52:33.440 --> 00:52:46.719
Not only were there 619,000 African Americans who didn't vote, there were about 207,000 um um other of people of other races who did not vote um in the last election.
00:52:46.880 --> 00:52:47.840
So we're reaching them.
00:52:47.920 --> 00:52:49.679
We're not telling anyone how to vote.
00:52:49.760 --> 00:52:50.800
We are a church.
00:52:50.960 --> 00:53:05.519
We will not have our you know tax status or anything revoked, but it's just the fact that we are not telling people how to vote, but we are only we are encouraging people to go vote and to vote their convictions.
00:53:05.679 --> 00:53:08.559
Vote, I'm sorry, to vote their best interests.
00:53:08.719 --> 00:53:12.880
You don't want to just vote for something that's not going to benefit you.
00:53:13.119 --> 00:53:15.599
Vote for your best interests.
00:53:15.760 --> 00:53:17.199
Vote for your best interest.
00:53:17.599 --> 00:53:22.000
Now, what also what um Deacon McKendle see, did we really should be able to do that?
00:53:22.320 --> 00:53:24.559
Deacon, like you said, now Deacon, I'm trustee.
00:53:24.960 --> 00:53:25.440
Trustee.
00:53:25.599 --> 00:53:38.960
Trustee McKendle was saying was that it's very important for us um to recognize that your record can be expunged, your voting, you can get your rights restored for voting.
00:53:39.119 --> 00:53:49.679
And I want to just add, the state of Alabama does not repeat, does not have to um take your voting rights if you get convicted of a felony.
00:53:49.840 --> 00:53:52.880
That is something that the state chooses to do.
00:53:53.199 --> 00:54:01.119
That is not a constitutional requirement by the federal government, that is not a federal constitutional requirement.
00:54:01.199 --> 00:54:03.519
It's just something that this state chooses to do.
00:54:03.599 --> 00:54:08.559
And the reason why I raise it is because it lets us know how important voting is.
00:54:08.719 --> 00:54:12.559
If they're trying to take it from you, it's so that you know.
00:54:12.719 --> 00:54:16.480
That's one key for you to know that it is very important.
00:54:16.639 --> 00:54:18.400
So reach the 619.
00:54:18.480 --> 00:54:21.280
If you have any questions or comments, just call the church office.
00:54:21.360 --> 00:54:24.719
I'd be more than happy to talk to you about how you can get involved in that.
00:54:24.960 --> 00:54:27.440
Second thing is we do have Bible studies going off.
00:54:27.599 --> 00:54:31.199
We going on, we call them the Magnificent Seven.
00:54:31.280 --> 00:54:41.039
We've got seven different Bible studies that are happening um between uh Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights, and Thursday nights all at 6 p.m.
00:54:41.280 --> 00:54:47.360
Um, Tuesday nights we have two, that's uh prayer and spiritual guidance and faith and finances.
00:54:47.760 --> 00:54:57.360
On Wednesday mornings, we have us uh uh we have a seniors Bible study at 11 o'clock there at the church, that's blended online.
00:54:57.519 --> 00:55:01.199
We have men's Bible study that starts at six, that's blended online.
00:55:01.599 --> 00:55:07.119
Uh Wonderful Word on Wednesday, which is our women's Bible study, that is online only.
00:55:07.280 --> 00:55:11.840
And we also have a youth, a young adult Bible study that's blended online as well.
00:55:12.000 --> 00:55:21.920
And then on Thursdays online only, we have Luke and Social Justice, a social justice Bible study that is not blended online, it's online only.
00:55:22.079 --> 00:55:25.440
But we more you you're more than welcome to participate in those things.
00:55:25.519 --> 00:55:34.320
And again, if you have any questions about that, please contact the church office and we'll be more than willing to um to help you find out all about that.
00:55:34.480 --> 00:55:38.239
Um, so trustee McKendall has been great for us today.
00:55:38.559 --> 00:55:43.440
We have the uh president, the state president next week.
00:55:43.679 --> 00:55:46.000
Is she the state president or the local?
00:55:46.960 --> 00:55:54.400
She's uh local chapter president, local chapter president of Zeta Fabeta Sorority Incorporated, who's going to be with us.
00:55:54.480 --> 00:55:55.519
And you know, Dr.
00:55:55.679 --> 00:55:58.079
Minor is in no way partial.
00:56:02.480 --> 00:56:05.280
In no way, in no way is he biased at all.
00:56:07.360 --> 00:56:08.480
Amen, amen.
00:56:08.960 --> 00:56:11.599
So, beloved, I mean, just thank you all so much.
00:56:11.760 --> 00:56:13.039
We uh can't wait.
00:56:13.119 --> 00:56:14.719
We're going to get better at this.
00:56:14.880 --> 00:56:15.920
We're going to get better.
00:56:16.000 --> 00:56:19.360
We've we've started doing this uh three years ago.
00:56:19.440 --> 00:56:24.800
We've had some wonderful, meaningful, really life-altering conversations.
00:56:25.039 --> 00:56:27.519
Wonderful, meaningful, and life-altering guests.
00:56:27.760 --> 00:56:29.039
God has truly blessed this.
00:56:29.119 --> 00:56:33.280
And so, with this new format, it's going to be amazing.
00:56:33.440 --> 00:56:37.519
And yeah, we're so grateful to our pastor, uh John Cantolo, Dr.
00:56:37.599 --> 00:56:45.599
John Cantolo III, who is allowing us and pushing us and really supporting us in this move, it's this movement and in this ministry.
00:56:45.760 --> 00:56:49.280
And so we're grateful for all of you who are joining us as well.
00:56:49.519 --> 00:56:55.760
And the name of the church is Sixth Avenue Baptist Church at 1101 Martin Luther, Dr.
00:56:56.079 --> 00:56:58.079
Martin Luther King Jr.
00:56:59.039 --> 00:56:59.760
Boulevard.
00:57:00.159 --> 00:57:02.800
I'm sorry, Avenue Strive, Southwest.
00:57:02.880 --> 00:57:03.679
I'm new to Birmingham.
00:57:03.840 --> 00:57:04.400
Y'all forget.
00:57:06.559 --> 00:57:09.519
Anybody got their hair cut up here, but we can't new.
00:57:11.119 --> 00:57:12.400
So thank you very much.
00:57:13.119 --> 00:57:13.599
Thank you, Keith.
00:57:13.840 --> 00:57:14.480
No, thank you.
00:57:14.559 --> 00:57:15.199
I appreciate it.
00:57:15.280 --> 00:57:16.719
Once again, I'd like to thank everyone.
00:57:16.800 --> 00:57:17.599
It was wonderful.
00:57:17.679 --> 00:57:19.840
I appreciate being part of the forum.
00:57:20.639 --> 00:57:21.199
Gratefully.
00:57:21.599 --> 00:57:23.360
You just didn't have enough time, Keith.
00:57:32.800 --> 00:57:35.199
They taught me to state like you wouldn't believe.
00:57:35.599 --> 00:57:35.920
Amen.
00:57:36.239 --> 00:57:38.320
He was just outside busting up the shit for real.
00:57:40.000 --> 00:57:40.960
All right, y'all.
00:57:41.119 --> 00:57:42.800
So thank you so much for signing off.
00:57:43.119 --> 00:57:43.519
Thank you, man.
00:57:43.679 --> 00:57:44.719
Keep looking up.
